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Carl Gross, Editor |
July 10th, 2009
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Upcoming Programs and Events
Presented by the new Program Chairman, Leland Hammerschmitt and his crew.
July 17th-Larry Moesler-Ojai Quarry
July 24th-Will Burg-Port Hueneme
July 31st-Fifth Friday-Club Social
In the Beginning....
President Scott called his first meeting of the new year together, beaming from ear to ear. With the new President comes changes:
I found the reverse lunch line somewhat disorienting, but we could look at it as unwinding after years of clockwise trips to the proverbial trough.
With shades of the Kay Bliss administration, a poster found its way to the far wall. This will be a great way to share information. Missed the old easel.
It reminds me of the joke: How many Rotarians does it take to screw in a light bulb? The answer is 5 Rotarians....One to screw in the new light bulb and 4 to say how they liked the old light bulb better.
Thanks were given to Greeters Bill Hatch and Al West, the setup committee, Reminder Editor Carl Gross, and Roger Phelps, our Sgt. At Arms. Yes, there is a new sheriff in town.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Our Honorary Rotarian, Caroline Hunziker was welcomed warmly.
First Lady Betsy was holding court at the VIP table....Welcome, Betsy. Dave Brubaker, Chief Operating Officer of the Ojai Community Bank was welcomed.
Announcements. . .
Marty Pops reminded the assembled of the Demotion Party this July 11th at Dean Vadnais home. Pictures to follow. A great time was had by all!
Al West returned from the Rotary International Convention in Birmingham, England. He observed, "It was the best convention of the eight I have attended." The highlight of the meet was Deepa Willingham's presentation on the work that our District and Clubs have done in India.
President Scott recognized Davis Moyers and the staff at Soule Park for the great food service.
Catherine Lee is willing to give you the shirt off her back. Well, at least sell you a Rotary shirt. Put your order in soon.
This year we celebrate another anniversary, a silver one. In November 1984, our club sponsored Ojai's second Rotary Club…Rotary Club of Ojai-West, aka The Tuesday Club, aka The Breakfast Club. This is something to mark…not just for Ojai West, but for Rotary International, our community, and OUR club as well. When Rotary West was chartered, Tony Thacher was our president. Tony will preside over the meeting next week in my absence, and present a brief history of these events, and announce the celebration planned for later in the year. This will be one of at least three social events we'll share with our “not-so-fledgling” offspring this year.
In order to make our meeting invocations more meaningful, inclusive, and in keeping with our 4-way test, we have formed an Invocation Committee. The one thing even more sacred and traditional than our weekly invocation, is our annual fight about the invocation. If you would like to have input into this topic, please see Carl Gross or Judy Gabriel.
Fining: Grant Kemp
Fine master Kemp led off with the observation that the past year was a great year for fines and the goal will be to learn more about your fellow Rotarians through regular extraction of dollars from the members.
Jerry Kaplan kicked in for the upcoming Fifth Friday Social at his home this July 31st.
DeWayne Boccali paid for his recent pictorial in the paper.
Grant Kemp donated in honor of his aunt and uncle who died in a motor vehicle accident two weeks ago.
Soon-to-be Grandfather, Bill Hatch went to Manhattan. He did a makeup online. Way to go!
Lerie recognized the Veteran Grandmarshalls of the 4th of July Parade.
Nic and Suzanne visited their grandchild at Camp Ojai.
Dave Watson celebrated his and Susan's 35th wedding anniversary.
Not to be outdone, Frank Finck ponied up for his and Maudette's 13th anniversary.
We also celebrate Bill and Judy Pugh's anniversary on July 20th.
The Program
President Scott opened the Club Assembly with a plethora of automobile metaphors. "We will do what we do best..Let's do it better." His enthusiasm was infectious. Through RCOF and the Club we put about $100,000 back into the community. Scott wants our Club to be a hub and conduit of services to the community.
President-Elect Mike Weaver presented the Treasurer's report in Peter Haggerty's absence. He outlined our primary sources of income and plans for Community and International outlays.
Our Club Service Czar David Neville outlined the myriad tasks of making our Club operate smoothly. He recognized Bruce Brockman (Fundraising), Scott Eicher (Taste of Ojai), Leland Hammerschmitt (Club Programs), Andy Bloom (Social Chair), Roger Phelps (Sgt. of Arms), and Lerie Bjornstedt (Family of Rotary).
Dave Watson, our hard working custodian of the Foundation, outlined the coming year. Donations should be written to RCOF with a note at the bottom of the check to designate special uses.
Judy Gabriel has the busiest job in the Club. As Club Secretary, she want to improve attendance and improve communications in the Club.
Our Membership Chair, Suzanne Collinsworth-Smith, will be distributing "Be my guest" cards to give to prospective members. She want to improve on the member monitoring program to improve retention of members. A brochure will be coming out soon to inform the community and prospective members as to the many activities of the Club.
In a 5 minute tour de force, Maggie Cerminaro outlined Community Service. Some of the many services included Nordhoff Cemetery Cleanup, FLAMA, Rotary Clubs of Ojai Living Treasures, Fit Kids Fit Ojai, and Food for Thought. I couldn't keep up....
Dr. Bob Skankey, our International Chair, outlined our participation in the Nomad Medical Clinic in Niger, Ghana Street Girls Program, Student Exchange (this year we will host a student from Germany), Patzecuaro Water Program, Pialy Program in India, Roatan Medical Mission, and the Marshall Legacy Project to remove land mines. Of these programs, Bob has been the "boots on the ground" for all but two of these programs. I have worked with Bob in Roatan and on the Niger Project. He has always approached these formidable challenges with energy and enthusiasm.
Like they say, "You had to be there." There is so much that our Club does. Let's meet this new year with our support and energies shared by our new President.
Coming Up Next Week...
MOSLER & CO.
MOSLER ROCK-OJAI QUARRY
JULY 17
I have lived in California since 1958. Lived in Ventura County since 1976.
I worked for various large construction companies building freeways in Southern California in the 60's. Did (2) two tours of duty in Vietnam as a Seabee.
Started my own construction company in 1974. (Mosler & Co.,)
Started working with rock in 1989, by doing County Flood Control work on the Levees.
Over the years I moved more toward the rock supply and crushing aspect of the business.
In 2005 we purchased the Ojai rock quarry . Since then we have been a producer of Rip-Rap for Flood Control work, gravel for the housing industry and dimension & specialty stone for houses, wall rock and landscaping.
After the purchase of the quarry, we learned about the “political” of how difficult it is to operate a business in Ventura County. Unfortunately certain groups of people here in Ojai have been giving us a run for our money too. I'm here to share my reality of our mineral wealth.
Final Thoughts by Scott Smith
I wanted to give a brief closing remark about tolerance. We have a rich and varied membership, men and women, young and old, politically conservative and liberal, spiritually religious or secular or atheist…some of us are materially wealthy, some are not…some of us are outspoken, some of us…quietly thoughtful….
Many of you may know that my grandfather was a Lebanese immigrant. In a reformist Arab world view, there is a Qur'an principal that is best-translated as “mutual recognition.” This goes “beyond tolerance.” To tolerate someone is merely to put up with them.
I think that people who think they are self-sufficient with their own ideas and their own views of the world are in danger. While being proud of whom we are as individuals, I think we can also recognize that other people…religions, races, personalities…all have good in them. Let's be wise enough to find such qualities, appreciate them, and build upon them.
